Tag Archives: David

When God Calls the Unlikely

04 Tuesday Feb 2025

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Reading: Psalm 78:65-72
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.
Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.
He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them (NIV). *

Reflection
Up to this point Psalm 78 has catalogued a long list of Israel’s transgressions. They have been a stubborn and rebellious people who have been unfaithful to the LORD. They have been unfaithful despite His mercy and the miracles He performed on their behalf. Now this final portion of the psalm represents a turning point in the history of the nation.

Once again, the LORD intervened in the affairs of Israel. “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance” (v. 70-71).

God chose a man; He chose a leader. Often the LORD chooses the most unlikely candidates for leadership. He did not go to the palace; He went to the sheep pen. He overlooked Jonathan, the courageous royal son of Saul, and instead He called out David, the youngest son of Jesse—a man after God’s own heart.

What does God consider when He looks for a leader? When selecting the next king, the prophet Samuel was told, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The LORD is not looking for physical strength or a handsome face, but he is looking for integrity of heart (v. 72).

That should give hope to every one of us. I cannot change my stature or significantly alter my appearance, but through repentance and faith I can change the condition of my heart.

Response: LORD God, I want a heart of integrity—a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to become an instrument you will use for your good purpose in this strife-torn world. Amen.

Your Turn: Can we change our hearts or is that God’s job? What role do we play?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
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He Chose David His Servant

19 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by in Psalm 78

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I will praise the LORD!

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Photo courtesy of L. Kranz.

Psalm 78

Then he [the Lord] rejected the tents of Joseph,
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
    Mount Zion, which he loved.
He built his sanctuary like the heights,
    like the earth that he established forever.
He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him
    to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them
with integrity of heart;
    with skillful hands he led them.
(Psalm 78:67-72, NIV) *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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Christmas Eve Quote and Prayer

24 Tuesday Dec 2024

Posted by in Psalm 69, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 69_2-5 - 365 winter

Reading: Psalm 69:1-5

LORD God,
thank you for showing us mercy
when we don’t deserve it.
Thank you on this Christmas Eve
for coming to rescue the likes of me.
For this mercy and a thousand more,
I give you thanks.
Amen.

— — —

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken
of the entire Roman world.
(This was the first census that took place
while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up
from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem the town of David,
because he belonged to the house
and line of David.
He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child.
While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn,
a son.
She wrapped him in cloths
and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room
available for them.
(Luke 2:1-7)*

On the eve of our Savior’s birth
let the peace of Christ flood your heart.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here

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The Lord Is with You

22 Sunday Dec 2024

Posted by in Advent

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I will praise the LORD!

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Photo by Donald Adam

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy,
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, 
a town in Galilee,
to a virgin pledged to be married
to a man named Joseph, 
a descendant of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said,
“Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary;
you have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you are to call him Jesus.
He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High. 
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;
his kingdom will never end.”
(Luke 1:26_33, NIV) *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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Do Not Worry about Your Life

19 Tuesday Nov 2024

Posted by in Psalm 55, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 55_22

Reading: Psalm 55:16-23

LORD God,
 I cast my worries and cares on you.
I am so thankful you care
about the details of my life.
With the psalmist, David, I can say,
“But as for me, I trust in you.” 
Amen.

— — —

“Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body,
what you will wear.
Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life[a]?
(Matthew 6:25-27)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

A gripping read from David Kitz
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To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
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Online and in Book Form

09 Saturday Nov 2024

Posted by in Devotions

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God uses vessels in his hands to touch us exactly where and when we need it most. In our own experience, David’s daily insights from Psalms have been great. Not just in an educational sense, though that too, but his devotions touch us right where we need it. And often, it’s a word we can then share with a friend in need in a timely manner. Online and now in book form, both are a blessing!

Pastors Marjorie and Akihiro Mizuno
Christian Life International, Nagoya, Japan

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The main body parts for reading the Bible aren’t the eyes and brain; it’s the hands and feet. This theme is woven throughout Psalms 365. As it should be! The focus on living the Word, or as James puts it, “doing it” (James 1:25) is what makes this study in the Psalms top-notch.

Dr. Lawson Murray
President, Scripture Union Canada
Low Rez PsalmsVol2SEAlOver the years the Psalms have become a great source of hope. David Kitz’s devotions are a great accompaniment to them. I find his writing both insightful and uplifting.

Alan Kearns
Glenrothes, Scotland

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord, and is an ideal Christmas gift. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Embracing a Heart of Repentance

08 Friday Nov 2024

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Reading: Psalm 51:1-9
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
When the prophet Nathan came to him
after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity (NIV).

Men praying to God

Reflection
Psalm 51 is the great repentance psalm. Nothing matches the deep contrition expressed here by David. There can be little doubt David was truly remorseful for what he had done. He says it with words, but according to the Scriptures, his actions which followed also revealed a repentant heart. There is no blame shifting here; David takes full responsibility for his actions. Hear his humble plea: “For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge” (v. 3-4).

When Saul and Jonathan were slain in battle by the Philistines, David composed this lament. “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19 NRSV). David might well have sung this lament for himself. Here he was the vaunted King of Israel, the LORD’s anointed, and he had a fellow soldier murdered to cover up the adulterous affair he was having with this loyal soldier’s wife. This was the conduct of David—the man of God! Yes. “How the mighty have fallen!”

The amazing part of this story is not David’s sin or the depths of his depravity. The amazing part is that he repented—earnestly repented. In our day leader after leader has been caught red-handed in unscrupulous practices. But do they repent? Do they come clean and change their ways? Not likely. Most often they continue in denial. Those with absolute power continue to govern ruthlessly. Nathan, the prophet, was fortunate King David heard the voice of God speaking through a human vessel. David was quick to humble himself and repent. How do you respond when confronted with your sin?

Response: LORD God, I want to be like David—quick to acknowledge my sin and repent. Grant me a soft heart—a sensitive heart—a repentant heart in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you respond when confronted with your sin? How can we maintain a repentant heart before God? What hinders repentance?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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Trusting God Through the Pain of Betrayal

14 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by in Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 41:7-13
All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
Even my close friend, someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.
But may you have mercy on me, LORD;
raise me up, that I may repay them.
I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
Because of my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen (NIV).

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Reflection
This concluding portion of Psalm 41 comes with a prophetic twist. You need not take my word for it. As he sat with his disciples at the Last Supper, Jesus himself said he was fulfilling the words of this psalm.

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me” (John 13:18-21).

The psalmist, David experienced the heartbreak of betrayal. It was betrayal of the worst kind. Not only did David’s friends turn on him, but his own son, Absalom, sought to snatch the throne in a bloody coup—an act of open rebellion. See 2 Samuel 15-18.

David was betrayed by his son, Absalom; Jesus was betrayed by his friend and disciple, Judas Iscariot. But Jesus stayed loyal to his heavenly Father. He willingly went to the cross when he could have resisted arrest. He rebuked Peter for using his sword. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53).

Jesus experienced the resurrection truth of David’s words. “Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen” (v. 12-13).

Response: LORD God, I thank you for Jesus. He faced the cross and overcame all temptations. Through Jesus, I can overcome all things, even betrayal. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you experienced betrayal? How has the LORD upheld your cause?      

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz
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The Gift of Repentance

03 Thursday Oct 2024

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Reading: Psalm 38:17-22
For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
Many have become my enemies without cause;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
LORD, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior (NIV).

repentant7ms

Reflection
Today’s reading is the concluding portion of Psalm 38. As noted previously, this entire psalm is a lament over sin, and the trouble and affliction it has brought into David’s life. Rather than blaming others or blaming God, David takes responsibility for his self-inflicted difficulties. In anguish of spirit, he cries out, “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin” (v. 18).

Are you troubled by your sin, or do you revel in it? Have the consequences of sin started to bite. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). There are pleasures in sin for a season, but the long-term consequences are pain and death. It would appear from a full reading of this psalm that David is suffering some of the consequences of his misguided sin.

But David has the correct response. He confesses his sin and throws himself upon the mercies of God. Hear his humble plea, “LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior” (v. 21-22).

God’s ears are always open to that kind of prayer. We may believe we have fallen too far—our sin is too great—we have sunk too low. But God hears our cry, and His grace is sufficient. His mercy knows no bounds. The blood of Christ flows to the lowest valley. He can cleanse the vilest heart if we call out to Him.

Repentance is a wonderful gift, perhaps the greatest gift of all. At various times in his life David fell into the grip of sin. But David knew how to repent and as a result he found favor in the eyes of God. Discover the gift of repentance today. It’s more than feeling sorry for yourself. It’s a 180-degree turn from pursuing sin to pursuing God.

Response: LORD God, grant me the gift of repentance. I am thankful Jesus died on the cross to wash me clean. Hallelujah! I want to pursue you, Lord. You are my help and my righteousness. My salvation comes from you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you troubled by sin? Have you found a remedy?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

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The Rock That Is Higher than I

14 Saturday Sep 2024

Posted by in Psalm 61

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I will praise the LORD!Psalm 61_2

Reading: Psalm 61:1-5

For the director of music. With stringed instruments.
Of David.

Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.
   I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz
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To purchase or for a closer look click here.